Planting Seeds of Sustainability in Future Leaders

Posted on 01 September 2017

Attended by 114 youth delegates from 12 countries, the conference provided a platform for them to learn about sustainability from the industry experts, blogger, and sustainable business owners. The conference is set aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals which strives to end poverty, reduce inequality and protect the planet by 2030.

Food opens doors to cultures and traditions. So much so that people are willing to travel the world to find authentic or bizarre food that gives them the history that goes far beyond the delicious meal presented on a plate. Not only that, food is nostalgic and provides an important link to our cultural heritage.

Though it’s celebrated and valued, there is a growing concern on how we are taking food for granted. Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry documented that Malaysians waste 15,000 tonnes of food daily, including 3,000 tonnes of edible food that could provide three complete meals a day for over 2.3 million people.

Producing, distributing, storing or cooking food uses energy, fuel and water. Each of these processes emits greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Then we go on to waste an alarming 30% of the food we buy and what ends up in landfill create further greenhouse gases.

Fuelled by this concern, WWF-Malaysia’s EcoCampus team organised the second edition of the youth conference – Building Bridges for Sustainable Consumption and Production (BB4SCP) at Mall of Medini, Johor Bahru from 2 to 5 Aug 2017.

The field visit is one of the most important components in the conference where the delegates gained a more holistic understanding of the information shared during the discussions and presentations. The trip helped bridge the gap between learning and hands-on experience.

The conference also drew the delegates’ attention to the fashion industry which is the second biggest polluter of freshwater resources on the planet. A quarter of the chemicals produced in the world are used in textiles. Our high demand for fast fashion is making it worse as it puts pressure to fashion producers to create clothing as fast and as cheap as possible. Now clothes have become dispensable and disposable, which encourages rapid consumerism and waste.

Attended by 114 youth delegates from 12 countries, the conference provided a platform for them to learn about sustainability from the industry experts, blogger, and sustainable business owners. The conference is set aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals which strives to end poverty, reduce inequality and protect the planet by 2030.

Themed ‘Food & Fashion’ BB4SCP aims to enhance awareness and empower change in youth habits towards a more sustainable lifestyle. The delegates were exposed to different platforms to exchange thoughts and ideas. They took part in hands-on workshops, parallel sessions, mini projects, forum, round-table discussions, community service activity and field trips.

Mr Will Chua the co-founder of FOLO Farm walked them through the composting process on his sustainable farm. To reduce the effects of wasted food, his team works with hotels and restaurants, to collect and compost organic waste and turn it into rich fertiliser for the farm.

Learning from the industry experts helped the delegates paint a better understanding on sustainability. Lara Rath, Co-Founder of Secondsguru, shared a practical guide to sustainable fashion. The company which is based in Singapore aims to make green living easy for everyone.

In the culture of materialism, it’s easy for youths to grow up without a sense of gratitude and empathy to the less fortunate people around them. The community service, adopted from the concept "Kedai Jalanan", was conducted during the conference to inculcate values and teach both gratitude and understanding. A delegate is helping a local resident of Rumah Pangsa Larkin sift through the donated clothes given by the conference participants and public.

WWF-Malaysia formed strategic partnerships with various government, media agencies and other organisations to ensure that our shared vision for a sustainable future is realised together. One of our partners from the Social Enterprise Academy, Mr Shaikh Omar Anuar, is immersed in graphic recording throughout the conference.

Our role as consumers is inevitably important in making changes in the industry to help meet new sustainability goals. The food and clothing we choose everyday has an enormous impact on the planet and its people. Either our choice can continue to be a major part of the problem, or it can be an enormous part of getting our planet back on track. The choice is ultimately ours to make.

Please note that
wwf.org.my, www.facebook.com/wwfmy, www.twitter.com/wwfmy, and www.youtube.com/wwfmy are WWF-Malaysia's only official digital channels. If you have any concerns or queries, please e-mail: contactus@wwf.org.my.